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The challenge for hockey’s biggest prize, the Stanley Cup, is under way and once again Indigenous players are in the mix.

TJ Oshie, Ojibwe is back in the hunt for one more cup after the Washington Capitals historic season. Team captain Alexander Ovechkin achieved one of the greatest milestones in hockey when he eclipsed Wayne Gretzky's record for most goals, the great chase had the eyes of the hockey world focused for much of the season.

He broke the record on April 6, when he scored goal 895 and finished the season with 897.

The Capitals have recalled Ethan Bear, Ochapowace Cree Nation from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) in time for its post season run.

Bear, 27, who signed with Washington after stints with the Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers; led Hershey with 46 points and a plus/minus of +33. The 5’11”, 197-pound defensemen represented the team at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic in February and was named to the AHL’s 2024-25 Second All-Star Team.

The Capitals look red hot heading into the playoffs with a group that wants to put another championship onto their mantle, next to the franchise's first and only Cup from 2018. They finished at the top of the Eastern Conference and will be taking on the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.

It has been nearly 60 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs have won the NHL’s greatest prize. At that time, they were led by George Armstrong, Anishinaabe/Algonquin who was known to his teammates and his fans as “Chief”. Armstrong was captain for 13 years and he lifted Lord Stanley's mug four times, including the last one for the franchise in 1967.

This year, the team is one of the best in a generation and have a real chance to win it all. There are no Indigenous players currently suiting up for Toronto but they are led behind the bench by Craig Berube, Cree descent who is also known to his team and his fans as “Chief”.

Berube coached the Leafs to their first Atlantic division title this year and are looking to go deep into the playoffs. Berube has won it all as coach of the St. Louis Blues when that franchise won their first championship in 2019.

The Leafs will be facing the Ottawa Senators in the first round in what is being called the Battle of Ontario.

Travis Hamonic, Metis Nation is making his first appearance in the playoffs since joining the Senators. The veteran defenseman has been in the league for 15 years, coming into the NHL with the New York Islanders, he has also played with the Calgary Flames and The Vancouver Canucks and has been with the Senators since 2021. If he can help this team win it all, it would be a first for him and the franchise.

Zach Whitecloud and the Vegas Golden Knights are once again among the favorites in the Western Conference. Whitecloud, Sioux Valley Dakota Nation finished the season with 4 goals and 9 assists along with 37 minutes in the penalty box. The Knights finished at the top of the Pacific division and will be facing off against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs.

Brandon Montour, Mohawk from Six Nations of the Grand River who hoisted the cup last year as a member of the Florida Panthers will be watching from home this year. Montour signed with the Seattle Kraken for $50 million in the offseason and had an outstanding year with his new team. Montour scored eighteen goals the most in his career, along with 23 assists for 41 points the second most in his career. 

Montour is becoming the face of the Kraken franchise and added another line to the record books when he scored the fastest overtime goal in the history of the league.

The challenge for hockey’s biggest prize, the Stanley Cup, is under way and once again Indigenous players are in the mix.


Indigenous Players vie for the 2025 Stanley Cup

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